DRIVING OVER FIRE HOSE COULD RESULT IN MORE THAN A FINE

There’s a fire hose on the road and you drive over it— maybe you didn’t know it was against the law or how dangerous it can be.
 
"It’s pretty frequent,” Humboldt Bay Fire Battalion Chief Chris Emmons said. “I won't say it happens every incident, but we do have it happen quite often at incidents."
 
Emmons said there were a couple of drivers that did this on Tuesday.
 
"Normally we don't have time to get the license numbers,” Emmons said. “However, if we have additional personnel on scene like we did yesterday morning, we’re able to get license numbers.'
 
Those drivers may be facing a $234 fine at the minimum. Vehicle Code 21708 states that driving over an unprotected hose is against the law.
 
"The best thing to do would be to stop,” Fire Captain Nick Launius said. “Turn around safely and go the other way and give lots of room to the emergency crews who are trying to do work on the emergency scene.'
 
But Launius said the bigger concern is the safety issue.
 
"If we're in the middle of a fire, and we loose water that's obviously a major issue for our safety," Launius said.
 
Which would leave firefighters defenseless— causing more damage to the property and potentially putting firefighters at risk.
 
"Water supply is our life blood,” Emmons said. “If the water goes away we can't put the fire out."
 
So next time there’s a hose on the ground, think twice before you make it a speed bump.